Portland Observer, May 2, tw o
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Strengthen ‘Your fa i th ‘Through (Prayer A n d fegufar Church Worship
Love And Marriage . . . Hate And Divorce
by Mattie Ann Callier-Spears
Everyday we look into the pages o f
the newspapers or magazines, see the
stories on the television screen or hear
the issues revealed on the air waves o f
the radio--all pronouncing the decline
o f the H oly Ceremony called marriage,
it makes me shudder.
Society has dictated how, when, who
and why marriage should or should not
continue, who you should marry , how
long you may stay married and even
the when p a rt
I hear disturbing reports about safe
sex, fo r which there is none outside o f
marriage. Man is constantly putting
bandages on the symptoms instead o f
finding a cure for the cause. Many-a-
time the cure is staring them right in the
face; but, they don’t want to do that--its
too much like RIGHT. W hile mapping
out a course fo r correction, we journey
through the frezing cold o f the Antartic
just to find our way across the street in
front o f our house. This, to some, may
be extreme; but, this is usually a true
analogy o f how man finds answers to
his problems.
Marriage is no exception. I f one o f
the mates is not too tall or too short,
they’re too ugly or to o f at or just too-
too anything that society considers them
to be.
The Holy Scriptures reveal the whys
and wherefores o f marriage and how
man is to enter into its dominions.
Whether you be Jew or Gentile, free
or slave, Christian believer or sinner,
we all repeat the same vows. Some
tim id ly and some boldly exclaim, “ I
do!”
When God first created man, man
was alone. He created, for him (man),
a help mate (woman). “ This is i t ! ”
Adam exclaimed, “ She is part o f my
own bone and flesh! Her name is
woman because she was taken out o f a
man.” This explains why a man leaves
his father and mother and is joined to
his w ife in such a way that he two
become one person. [Gen. 2:23-24]
A t one point in time, man was con­
cerned with the propagation of the human
race. Yes! A m a n was considered rich
by the number o f wives and children he
had; along w ith the cattle and the land.
Now here’ s the k ic k e r-a fte r Christ, all
law ful marriages were to be monoga­
mous, "C le a v in g o nly to her/him as
long as ye both shall live .” This does
not mean that you are to go out and do
away w ith your spouse so that you can
marry someone else who may have
caught your fancy.
A man / woman who loves themself
should, in fact, love their mates be­
cause God has instructed that “ Hus­
bands, show the same kind o f love to
your wives as C hrist showed to the
church when he died fo r her. A man
must love his w ife as a part o f himself.
The w ife must w illin g ly obey her hus­
band ju s t as the church obeys C h ris t
She must submit herself to her hus­
band’ s leadership in the same way that
we submit ourselves to the Lord.” [Eph.
5:21-33]
The biggest problem in a marriage
is co m m unication. " la m not going to
speak to him /her and I don’ t want to
even here what he/she m ight have to
say. And 1 am not going to listen to
anyone who m ight want to make up.”
These words have been uttered many a
times. B u t . . . listen to these words o f
wisdom, not because I said it but be­
cause the Scripture is saying it. “ So be
careful how you act; these are d iffic u lt
days. D on’ t be fools; be wise: make
the most o f every opportunity you have
for doing good. D on’ t act thought­
lessly, but try to find out and do what­
ever the L ord wants you to.” [Eph.
5:15-17] As a means to fin d a solution
to this problem, sometimes one o f the
mates may drink alcohol or take drugs.
This is their lament, " I ju s t can’ t take it
anymore. Using or taking this stu ff
seems to help take the sting out o f what
I have to face.” W R O N G ! The Scrip­
ture says, " D o n ’t drink too much wine,
for many evils lie along that path; be
fille d instead w ith the H oly Spirit, and
controlled by him (the H oly Spirit).
Learn how to talk w ith each other much
about the Lord, quoting psalms and
hymns and singing sacred songs, mak­
ing music in your hearts to the Lord.
Alw ays give thanks to the Lord for
every thing to our God and Father in the
name o f our Lord Jesus Christ. Honor
Christ by submitting to each other.”
[Eph. 5:18-20]
Learn how to pray together. Hold
hands and pray. Feel one another’ s
pain and sorrow. D on’ t leave your
mate grieving when you can ease the
pain w ith a touch or embrace to be
placed at ju s t the right time.
" W h a t God has jo in e d together
let no one p ut asunder.” Let no man
or woman (from outside the marriage)
distract the attentiveness o f one from
another by words o f envy, jealousy or
evil ventures. Rather than turn to oth­
ers outside your u n io n -tu rn to one
another and to C hrist’s teachings. The
She's making good
things happen in
Multnomah County!
w ife should n't go to another man to be
consoled and the husband should not
go to another woman for c o m fo rt
"Y oung men, listen to me, and never
forget what I ’m about to say: Run from
her! D on’ t go near her house, lest you
fa ll to her temptation and lose your
honor, and give the remainder o f your
life to the cruel and merciless, lest
strangers obtain your wealth, and you
become a slave o f foreigners. Lest af­
terwards you groan in anguish and in
shame, when syphilis consumes your
body, and you say, “ Oh, i f only I had
listened! I f only I had not demanded
my own way! Oh, why w ouldn’t I take
advice? W hy was I so stupid? For now
I must face public disgrace.
D rink from your own w ell, my s o n -
be faithful and true to your own wife.
W hy w ould you beget children w ith
women o f the street? W hy share your
children w ith those outside your home?
Let your manhood be a blessing; re­
joice w ith your w ife o f your youth.
Love is ordained by God. B u t . . .
love has been so misconstrued by man­
kind. It has been used as a means to
lure and tempt. This is not o f God.
Open your eyes to the changing o f the
times. Read your Scripture. D aily.
The L O V E that God has for us is a
different kind o f love. The Love that
man has fo r his w ife is a different kind
o f love. "M e n , live happily w ith the
woman you love through the fleeting
days o f life , fo r the w ife God gives you
is your best reward down here for all
your earthly to il. Whatever you do, do
w ell, fo r in death, where you are going,
there is no w orking or planning, or
knowing, or understanding.” [Eccles.
9:9-10]
To Be Continued Next Week
WEEK
tPsabns 23
*
C haplain Colem an Receives Em ployee H onor—for the 2nd Time!
]ames Coleman receives his Employee of the M onth award from Vice President M ina Stewart.
Chaplain James Coleman is the
recipient of April's Employee of the
Month award. Jim has worked at
Emanuel since 1972, and has the
special honor of having been chosen
an Employee of the Month when the
program was first implemented in
1984
The Rev. Coleman is described
consistently as compassionate and
caring, always available to talk to
and console families, patients and
staff He never hesitates to come in
during the middle of the night. He
simply states, "I'll be right in."
His career is significant at Eman­
uel. He was the first non-Lutheran
chaplain here and as such has
performed pioneering work for his
denomination, the Church of God.
"He demonstrates a variety of
skills in addition to direct ministry,"
roc
■/ elect
PORTLAND
DEVELOBtLYr
COMMISSION
JIM DUNCAN
Commission Meeting
Date: M ay 9,1990
Place: Portland Building
1120 SW Fifth Ave., 11th FI.
Portland, OR
Time: 9:30 a.m.
_____
JIM DUNCAN
for
State Representative
House District 19
says : “ State priorities must reflect the
needs of the people. Voters In HD 19 are concerned
about Education, Crime, Drugs, Property Taxes, and
declining Human Services.”
Commission meetings are open to
the public. A complete agenda is
available at PDC. Call 796-5300.
PDC is the C ity of Portland's urban
renewal and economic development
agency.
says the Rev. W illiam Adix, lead
chaplain. "H e is also actively
involved in staff support. He is seen
as a pastoral resource, first for his
sensitivity to people and second for
his willingness to take a stand on
issues and act on them. The staff
does turn to him for advice and
support."
Here is what some of the employ­
ees who nominated Jim have to say
about him:
"H e is kind and gentle w ith staff
and families and patients. He never
complains."
"A very compassionate, caring
ind ivid ua l."
"He takes care of patient and
fam ily needs while accommodating
the needs of busy staff nurses. He
deals well w ith grieving and dis­
traught families."
"I have heard from so many
families what a kind and tru ly
interested person he is. He is a great
asset to the hospital."
JIM DUNCAN
knows that :
Funding for Education from State must be increased to create
an offset to local property taxes.
Crime and Drugs are out o f control. Our parks are not safe.
More State intervention is needed if we are to remove the
“crack houses” in NE Portland.
More help and services by HD 19 Elderly and by HD19 Parents
with MR & ED Children in the State Hospital at Fairview.
Problems in the Workers Compensation System and with State
Accident Insurance Fund must be solved. Injured workers and
employers are in a hostage, no-win situation, as long as the
system remains unchanged.
Some of our com m unity leaders, individual citizens, and
business owners in HD 19 feel they do not have ACCESS to
GOVERNM ENT through the present elected leaders.
Berna Plummer
for Congress
in '90
Republicans and
Independents can vote for
Berna Plummer for
Congress in 1990
U.S. House of
Representatives
District 3
JIM DUNCAN will make your safety, your
concerns, your welfare, his primary emphasis.
Call him at 287-9462.
A
Let H er K n o w
Y o u r C o n c e rn s :
13740 N.E. Fremont Ct.,
Portland, OR 97230
(503) 252-1772
People
for
Plummer
INDEPENDENT VOTERS: Please remember you have the
right to vote in the Oregon Republican Primary.
Jim Duncan has been endorsed by the 1990 Oregon Black
Political Convention.
Authorized by ELECT JIM DUNCAN COMMITTEE, P.0. Box 8604, Portland, OR
97207-8604. Ron Hall, Treasurer
POTENTIAL BOYCOTT
Guess Jeans...Their advertisements may promote male supremacy. Media
W a tch -a Santa Cruz. C A company that attempts to call attention to questionable
business practices-contends that Guess’ "distorted concepts o f love, self-worth,
popularity, and norm alcy" contribute to the incidence o f rape.
Paid For And Authorized by People For Plummer
Jesus Loves You!
ARANATHA
HURCH
Re-elect
Gladys McCoy
Multnomah
County Chair.
Paid tor by Friends of Gladys McCoy,
P.O. Box 1809, Portland, OR 97207
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue
Portland Oregon
4236 N.E. Eighth Avenue
(corner of 8th & Skidmore)
Portland, Oregon 97211
(503) 287-0261
Phillip S. Nelson, Pastor
Sunday Services
reaching Church With A Caching Ministry.
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
MT. OLIVET BAPTIST
------ 1 CHURCH
-----
Morning Worship
116 N.E. Schuyler • (503) 284-19
10:30 A.M.
3 M O R N IN G WORSHIP SERVICES
8.00 A M . - W ORSHIP SERVICE 10:00 A.M . - W ORSHIP SER
12 JO P.M. - W ORSHIP SERVICE
C H I RCH SCHOOL; SATURDAY M O R N IN G 9 A.M . T O 10
Maranatha School of Ministry
6:30 P.M.
Mid-Week Services - Wednesday
7:30 P.M.
Dr- James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
BIRLE STUDY:
10:30 A.M. - 12 NOON - WEDNESDAY
6:30 A.M. - 8.-00 P.M. - WEDNESDAY
Rev. W endell H. Wallace
Senior Tastar
Radio Ministry Each Sunday, 8.-00 AM . - KBM
J